E'hai Lake is located to the northwest of Dali city district in Yunnan. It is the second largest freshwater lake in Yunnan province, and the seventh largest freshwater lake in China. E'hai Lake starts from Eryuan in the north, and stretches about 42.58 kilometers long with a maximum width of 9.0 kilometers east-west. The lake area is 256.5 square kilometers, an average depth of 10 meters, and the deepest point reaches 20 meters. Its water storage capacity is 2.794 billion cubic meters. Although E'hai Lake's area is smaller than Dianchi Lake, its water storage capacity is larger due to its depth. In ancient literature, E'hai Lake was once referred to as Ye Yu Ze, Kun Mi Chuan, Xi Er He, and Xi Er He, among others. The only outlet of E'hai Lake is near Xiaguan Town, where it flows out through the Xi'er River. E'hai Lake is one of the four scenic views of Dali, known for its "Moon over E'hai". It is said that the lake got its name because its shape resembles an ear. E'hai Lake has excellent water quality, abundant aquatic resources, and is also a famous scenic area with charming scenery.
E'hai Lake consists of 3 islands, 4 islets, 5 lakes, and 9 bends.
The three islands are: Jinuo Island, Yujii Island, Chiwen Island;
The four islets: Qingsha Beizhou, Daguanpengzhou, Yuan Yang Zhou, Ma Lian Zhou;
The five lakes: Taihu Lake, Lotus Lake, Star Lake, Spirit Lake, Zhu Lake;
The nine bends: Lotus Bend, Daguan Bend, Panji Bend, Fengyi Bend, Luoshi Bend, Niujiao Bend, Bo Bend, Gaoju Bend, Hezhu Bend.
E'hai Lake belongs to the category of tectonic subsidence lakes. The lake water is crystal clear with very high transparency. Since ancient times, it has always been called the flawless jade among the mountains. There is a legend that a huge jade cabbage grows at the bottom of the sea, and this shimmering lake water is the jade liquid that seeps out from the heart of the jade cabbage. E'hai Lake is located within the boundaries of Dali City and is the mother lake of the Bai people, who refer to it as the Golden Moon.
The Moon over E'hai is one of the four famous scenes of Dali. Ming Dynasty poet Feng Shikě wrote in his book "Brief Records of Western Yunnan" that the wonders of E'hai Lake lie in the sun, moon, and stars, which are much larger and brighter here than elsewhere. If on the 15th day of the lunar month, you take a boat ride on E'hai Lake during a bright moonlit night, the moon appears particularly bright and round, creating a breathtaking scene: in the water, the moon is round like a wheel, floating with golden ripples; in the sky, a jade mirror hangs high, shining brilliantly, as if it had just emerged from a bath in E'hai Lake. Watching, watching, the reflection of water and sky dazzles you, making it hard to distinguish whether the moon in the sky has fallen into the sea or the moon in the sea has risen to the sky. Moreover, the fame of the Moon over E'hai lies in the pristine white snow of Cang Mountain reflected in E'hai Lake, intersecting with the pure and clear moonlight of E'hai Lake, forming a great wonder of silver Cang Mountain and jade E'hai.
"Ten thousand acres of water open up a celestial mirror, and the mountain colors surround emerald screens all year round," earning it the reputation of Silver Cang and Jade E'hai, and the Pearl of the Plateau. From ancient times to the present, countless elegant scholars have written endless poems and prose in praise of it. Nanzhao Qingping official Yang Qikun described it in one of his poems included in "Complete Tang Poems": "In the wind, the waves blow white again, and in the rain, the shadow of the mist is washed clean." E'hai International Ecology City is located west of E'hai Lake and east of the administrative center on the east side of E'hai Lake. Its future development potential is limitless. E'hai International Ecology City, a fairyland close to the water and mountains.